Apparatus for disconnecting threaded members



March 7, 1933. 3 KENNEDY 1,900,017

APPARATUS FOR DI SCONNECTING THREADED MEMBERS Filed Jan. 31, 1931 IN-VENTOR.

1.35 Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view showlng' Patented Mar. 7, 1933 1UNITED STATES GRAFTON sQKENNEDY, or DAYTON, OHIO APPARATUSFOR DISCONNECTI NG TI E-I READED MEMBERS Application filed. January 31, 1931Serial No. 512,716.

(GRANTED UNDER rm; Aer or marten a, 1's83,AsA MENDEn APRIL so; 1928; 370o. e. 757) The invention described herein may-be manufactured and usedby or for the overnment for governmental purposes, without the paymentto me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to an apparatus for disconnecting threadedmembers and has reference more particularly to an arrangement whichpermlts operation from a remote point.

7 The removal of a booster casingfrom a loaded projectile is a taskfraught w th danger and consequently is carried out by placing theoperator and the pro ectile on opposite sides of a strong protectivewall. The present apparatus designed to accomplish 215 this task ischaracterized by a novel arrangement for initiating rotation of thewrench, or by a special head adapted tov hold the member that isunthreaded and by a carriage for retracting the projectile.

With the foregoing and other objects in i the invention resides in thenovel arwhich the pedestals .11 are supported.

view, rangement and comblnation of parts and in the details ofconstruction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood thatchanges in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed maybe made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from thespirit of the invention.

A practical embodiment of the invention 1s illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, v

wherein:

I Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus constructedin accordance with the invention;

the adapter and holder in place on the projectile.

Fig. 4 is a detailed sectional view of the ratchet mechanism.

Referring to the drawing by charactersof reference:

The apparatus consists essentially of a horizontally disposed wrench inthe form. of a shaft 5 which is inserted through a protecting wall 6whereby the handle portion 7 I and the head 8 are on opposite sides ofthe wall. The shaft has a plurality of supports, one of them consistingof a bearing sleeve 9 '50 retained in the wall by plates 10-10 that are*justably supporting bearin .handwhee1 D wheel 24:

connected by tie rods lland the remaining ber 13 provided'with setscrews 14: for adblocks 15. A p 16 is mounted on the shaft 5 between thepedestals and is secured by the set screw 17.

' 'On the reduced extremity 18 of the handle portion 7 there isrotatably mounted a'lever 19 having a counterweight 20 wherebythe leveris normally maintained in anupright position. The lever is formed with atubular portion 21 in which is housed a pawl 22 normally urged by aspring 23 to engage a ratchet fast on the handle portion of the shaft5.. A laterally. projectingfinger 25 on a the pawl 22 is disposed in thepath of a cam surface 26 on the upper extremity of a bar 27 which issecured by'means of bolts 28 to a 'Ilgld. base which may be the bed 29.on

The headv8 of the wrench is in the form of'a pair of spaced jaws 30parallel to the axis of the shaft 5 and designed to receive an adapter31which is secured in place by a set screw 32. The engaging portions ofthe adapter are designed to be a complement to the particular type ofbolt head to be engaged.

In the example given the member 33that' is to be unthreaded is formedwith a conical head 34: having notches or slots 35. As clearly shown inFig. 3, the adapter'31 is formed to fit overthe head 34 and is providedwith te5ethv or blades 36 for engaging inthe slots 7 Where the member 33is hollow and internally threaded, a holder 37 is associated with theadapter 31 and is in the form of a collar bolt, the stem of which isthreaded into the member 33 after the adapter 31 has been fitted thereonso that the collar 38 rests against the adapter and serves to hold theadapter in place on the member 33 during the operation of moving theassembled units into a position with respect to. the head of' the wrenchwhereby the jaws embrace the adapter and the set screw 32 may engage it.

' The objectfrom which the member 33 is to be removed, in the presentinstance a protheadapter and wrench head and having 'securable to thewrench means for externally engaging a member to jectile 39, is clampedin a vise 40 fixed to a carriage 41 which is arranged to ride on aseries of spaced rollers 42. A flexible cable 43 having a hook 44engageable with an eye 45 onthecarriage is passed. between. adjacentrollers at. apoint where it is desired to arrest movement of thecarriage. A weight 46 on the rope serves as a gravity actuator normallytending to move. the carriage. The movement of the carriage is arrestedby disconnecting the hook therefrom and this is accomplished by therotary motion. imparted to the hook when it passes over the roller 47as-clearly shown in dotted lines in. Fig. 2..

The method of employingthe apparatusi's asfollows The adapterBl isfitted; onithemember. 3.3 andzthe. holder .37 threaded thereinto hold.the adapter in place., The projectile 39 is. then clamped; in. the vise40- and; the carriage 41 moved towards the protecting wall until theholder 37 contacts-theheadv of the wrench between the jaws 30. The setscrew 32 is. then turned. to engage the adapter and the collar 38 of theholder.

The hand wheel 1.61is then. turned: to; rotate the shaft 5 and unthread.the member 33 from the projectile which is free to move away from; thewrench. and permit the withdrawal of the member 33-. When the lastthread is disengaged the carriage moves to. the position shown in dottedlinesin. Fig. 2v and the member 33' is supported by the wrench; beingremoved by loosening the set screw 32:

Frequently the leverage afforded by the hand: wheel 1'6'is insufficientto initiate unthreading. In this event the lever 19 is'act'ed on. and?as soon as the finger 25. clears the cam surface 26 the pawl 22 is urgedby its spring into engagement with theratchet wheel 24, which. beingfast on the shaft 5, thusimparts rotation to. the shaft. Upon release ofthe lever the counterweight20 returns the lever tov the upright positionwhere the cam 26 is in position to disengage. the pawl from the ratchetwheel. v

I claim:

1'. In apparatus of the class described, a Wall, a'shaft passing throughthe wall, a hand wheel on. one end of the shaft, a wrench. head on theother end of the shaft and including spaced jaws parallel to the shaft,

head and having be unthreaded, a holder confined between means forinternally engaging a member to be unthread'ed, a work-holding carriage,a series of rollers forming a support for the carriage, and a gravityactuator including a'fiexible cable passing over one of the rollers anda hook carried by the cable for detachably engaging the carriage.

2. In apparatus of the classdescribed, a shaft. means for mounting theshaft, a

an adapter wrench head on one end of the shaft, a handwheel on the otherend of the shaft, a ratchet wheel on the shaft adjacent the handwheel, acounterbalanced lever journaled on the shaft adjacent the ratchet wheel,a. spring pressed pawl housed in the leverand normally urged to engagethe ratchet wheel, and a cam for withdrawing the pawl when the leverisin. normal counterbalanced position.

3. In apparatus of the class described, a carriage, means onthe-carriagefor holding a piece. of work, a series of rollers forming a support forthe carriage, and a gravity actuator including a flexible cable, passingover one ofthe rollers and a hooli carried by the GRAETQN S.,

